United to help evacuees in the North
United Way BC’s Emergency Response funding helped the Wellness Truth & Families Foundation in Fort Saint John to provide much needed necessities and services for wildfire evacuees from Fort Nelson.
Imagine the anxiety, fear, and chaos that people experience when evacuated from their homes and communities because of a crisis event. The fear when seeking safety for yourself and your loved ones. The anxiety as you leave your home behind, wondering if it will be there when you return. The thought of being out of work and wondering how you will pull the pieces of your life back together. When people who have been evacuated reach their destination there is certainly relief, but next they must consider how to navigate a different community while just trying to make it through the day.
For thousands in Northern BC, this became a reality when wildfires forced them to leave their homes in Fort Nelson First Nation, the town of Fort Nelson, and Doig Creek First Nation in May 2024.
Navigating unfamiliar territory
The Northern territory of BC is a vast and remote region of the province, and the wildfires impacted a large portion of it. In order to evacuate somewhere safely, those fleeing had to travel several hours to the nearest Emergency Operation Centre (EOC). Once there, they found themselves in an unfamiliar community, unsure of where to go for services, who to turn to for assistance, and where they were going to stay while they waited to hear news about their return.
“People were coming from Fort Nelson,” says Lisa Jewell, Executive Director of Wellness Truth & Families Foundation in Fort Saint John. “We heard they were being redirected to other places because there was no more room here, so, through United Way BC, we made sure they had gas to make it if they had to leave again.”
A helping hand
Thanks to United Way BC’s Emergency Response funding, Lisa was able to provide much needed necessities and services for evacuees. Though newly created, the Wellness Truth and Families Foundation didn’t hesitate to unite with the community and other partners to help those in need.
Toys, along with hygiene and activity kits, were handed out to evacuees.
“We were handing out gas cards, cases of water, hygiene supplies, extra blankets. We were just trying to help with whatever we could,” she says. Lisa is brimming with enthusiasm and passion for helping others as she describes the first few days of the evacuees’ arrivals.
The immediate need was overwhelming for everyone: the community and residents of Fort Saint John who banded together to welcome evacuees, the volunteers looking to support, and the evacuees themselves who had driven almost 4 hours to reach safety. However, the crisis also brought together the community to support evacuees in their time of need.
As more people arrived, some found themselves temporarily staying in their vehicles. Lisa describes the situation as a bit chaotic, “The hotels were full, and people had opened their homes and RV’s to evacuees, but we still had some people sleeping in their cars or tenting,” describes Lisa. The foundation’s support even included finding tarp for one vehicle people were sleeping in as it had a leak.
The city of Fort Saint John came together to help evacuees, including holding a welcome BBQ.
Addressing longer term needs
With the immediate basic needs starting to be met through the EOC, the Town of Fort Saint John, and local agencies like the Wellness Truth & Families Foundation, other needs started to present. “Mental health is a big one,” explains Lisa as she describes some of the gaps. “Part of our funding was for counselling. Our foundation counsels people individually and in groups, as well as other counsellors in town we contract out to. We’ve been leveraging that to help the people who were coming in.”
Lisa hopes to continue providing counselling to evacuees when they return home, “We will allow people to Zoom into appointments with us and do some online work. We’ve already started talking to them and we don’t really want to just break it off and let them float in limbo.” She also notes it will depend on funding as they don’t have the funds to continue the services for long, something that she worries about.
After 3 weeks, the most pressing wildfire threat had subsided and evacuees were finally able to make their way safely back to their communities in the beginning of June to start the process of settling back into their homes. For three families, moving back home meant rebuilding as their home was damaged. Altogether 10 properties were damaged by the wildfire.
The road home. Photo courtesy of RV Gypsies.
The journey to recovery and resiliency
The work to support individuals, families, and the broader community hasn’t ended though. Because the work does not end when the smoke clears, United Way BC’s Emergency Response Recovery will continue to support agencies in the three communities impacted by the wildfires as they start the recovery process.
“We are so grateful for United Way BC and their support,” says Lisa.” We couldn’t have done any of this without you. So truly, thank you.”
While this wildfire is now under control and the communities no longer under immediate threat, the situation in British Columbia remains precarious. More wildfires are expected as the days become warmer. United Way BC continues to monitor wildfires and connect with communities, to support preparedness and step in to fill gaps when needed.
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